Chapter 536
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 536: Let Me Be the Sword Saint
“However, the side effects of this forbidden market are also quite obvious,” Yuan Gang continued.
“Side effects?”
Lin Qiye frowned slightly; it was the first time he had heard that the forbidden market had side effects.
“The ‘Glazed Innocent Heart’ grants him the purest of souls; he will never interpret others’ thoughts with malice, which makes him easily gullible.
In modern society, such innocence is not necessarily a good thing.
As the saying goes, good people are often taken advantage of.
Because of his excessive kindness and naivety, he was deceived, used, and bullied repeatedly during his childhood… pranks, scams, borrowing money, slander, rumors—he has basically experienced all forms of bullying you can think of. Eventually, he couldn’t even finish middle school and was forced to drop out.
His parents were addicted to gambling and racked up a mountain of debt. Eventually, they abandoned little Zhou Ping and secretly fled to the north. Those chasing the debts came knocking, but fortunately, his third uncle found him in time, rescued him from the debt collectors, and took him back to his own restaurant.
Later, the homeless Zhou Ping stayed by his third uncle’s side. His third uncle treated him well, carefully raising him. Eventually, he began helping out in the restaurant, as a way to repay his uncle and earn a little pocket money for himself…”
As Yuan Gang’s words fell, Lin Qiye and the others fell into silence.
“How can people be so wicked?!” Jia Lan slammed a fist on the table, nearly flipping it over.
“If it were an ordinary person, after experiencing so much, their temperament would have changed drastically. They might seek revenge on society, sink into darkness, or become extremely selfish, thus going down a wrong path…
But Zhou Ping wouldn’t.
He felt wronged and distressed; he couldn’t understand why all this was happening. Yet, his way of resisting this world was simply to seal away his wounded heart, no longer communicating with others, immersing himself wholeheartedly in beautiful and pure stories.
He did not despair over this society, nor did he feel that the world was unfair; he simply learned to protect himself.”
“So that’s how the Sword Saint’s social anxiety came about…”
Cao Yuan sighed deeply.
“When the realm of mental strength reaches a certain height, further progress requires a breakthrough in mindset. The emotional scars endured in his early years became the greatest obstacle for the Sword Saint’s advancement,” Yuan Gang slowly spoke.
“But Commander Ye always believed that he was the most likely person in the world to break through that ceiling.
As long as he can leap over the hurdle in his heart and release the ‘Glazed Innocent Heart’ without reservation,
his transparent and pure heart and sword will become the hope of the entire Great Xia.”
Baili Pangpang nodded thoughtfully.
“I’m also curious about one thing,” he asked. “Since the Sword Saint was already reclusive back then, how did Commander Ye get him to come out and become the Sword Saint of Great Xia?”
Upon hearing this question, Yuan Gang smiled slightly.
“I mentioned before, his world is very simple and pure…”
……
In the mist.
Fragments of the city.
In the dimly lit, warm underground parking garage, Zhou Ping, in a blood-stained black shirt, slowly walked over to the stove, carrying a frozen passerby on his back.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
He coughed violently a few times, his brow slightly furrowed. He bent down and gently placed the passerby next to the stove.
He extended his trembling right hand and tested for a moment under the passerby’s nose.
He let out a sigh of relief.
“Senior Sword Saint, this is the last batch,” Lu Yu said, carrying another unconscious passerby and placing them by the stove, then turned to Zhou Ping.
“Have all the streets been searched?”
“Completed.”
“Mm.” Zhou Ping nodded.
He stepped to the corner of the garage, his steps a bit unsteady, leaning against a pillar and slowly sitting down…
His right hand was still trembling slightly.
His eyes reflected the flickering flames in the dim parking lot, lost in thought. After a long while, his eyes gently closed.
Time passed, and faint voices came from a distance.
Zhou Ping frowned, struggling to open his eyes. Bloodshot veins clung to his eyes, making him look extremely haggard.
In another corner of the parking lot, a pale Chen Han approached Zhou Ping with three children aged seven or eight.
Zhou Ping looked at the three children, surprise flickering in his eyes.
“My mental strength is limited, and I can’t heal everyone for now… so I saved the children first,” Chen Han said weakly. “These three children seem to have good talent; they managed to shake off the influence of the wind and have awakened.
Lu Yu, you and the Sword Saint should take care of these three children.”
“Understood!”
Lu Yu quickly walked over to the three children. After Chen Han rested for a moment, he walked toward the other side of the garage.
The three children, two boys and one girl, were dressed in thick, warm clothing. Perhaps they had been outside for too long, their cheeks were flushed, and their lips slightly purple, but their eyes remained bright like stars.
“What are your names?” Lu Yu asked.
“I’m Li Ruodie,” the girl said softly.
“I’m Wang Jiaqing.”
“Chen Nan.”
The three children glanced at the unconscious passersby nearby, seemingly a bit frightened.
“Big brother, are you also a Night Watchman?” Li Ruodie asked curiously, her eyes sparkling like jewels.
“Do you know about Night Watchmen?” Lu Yu asked in surprise.
“The older brother just told us,” Wang Jiaqing replied. “He said Night Watchmen are superheroes who protect us.”
Lu Yu smiled, “Then I am indeed a Night Watchman.”
“What about you, big brother?”
Li Ruodie looked at Zhou Ping, who was huddled in the corner.
Zhou Ping paused, his voice hoarse, “I’m not a Night Watchman.”
“Although he’s not a Night Watchman, he’s a superhero even more powerful than a Night Watchman,” Lu Yu patiently explained to the children. “He is the Sword Saint of our Great Xia.”
“Sword Saint?”
The children’s mouths fell open in astonishment.
Chen Nan stared at Zhou Ping for a long time, tentatively asking, “Big brother, can you turn invisible and use sword blade storms?”
“Foolish Chen Nan, he’s not the Sword Saint from the game!” Li Ruodie corrected.
“Oh…”
“The Sword Saint of Great Xia sounds really impressive!!” Wang Jiaqing looked at Zhou Ping with admiration in his eyes. “Sword Saint brother, how did you become the Sword Saint? Can I also become a Sword Saint in the future?”
Zhou Ping stood frozen in place.
His gaze was fixed on the three children, but his thoughts had already drifted back many years.
……
It was an ordinary afternoon.
Zhou Ping rolled up his sleeves, sitting on the steps of his third uncle’s restaurant, diligently washing vegetables.
A man draped in a dark red cloak sat beside him.
Zhou Ping focused on washing the vegetables and didn’t notice his presence at all.
The man stared at him for a long time, then smiled.
“Are you Zhou Ping?”
Zhou Ping looked up, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his wrist, and nodded.
“My name is Ye Fan,” the man said.
“Oh.”
Zhou Ping glanced at him and continued washing the vegetables.
“…” Ye Fan paused. “Do you want to be the pinnacle of humanity?”
“What is the pinnacle of humanity?”
“It means being the one who can hold up the sky when it falls,” Ye Fan pointed at the sky above.
“I don’t understand.”
“It means protecting this country and its people… the strongest among humans.” Ye Fan explained in simple terms.
Zhou Ping thought for a moment, “Like a hero?”
“Exactly, like a hero.”
Zhou Ping pondered, “Being a hero sounds good, but I don’t like the name ‘pinnacle of humanity’; it’s not imposing enough.”
“Then what do you want to be called?”
Zhou Ping lowered his head, shook the water off his hands, and glanced at the wooden sword on the steps.
“Sword Saint,” he said. “If you let me be the Sword Saint of Great Xia, I’ll agree to you.”
